No matter how far or how wide I roam...

A collection of things I did not know that I had missed after spending two Australian summers abroad.

Soft flooring underfoot
The sight of swooping Cockatoos
A warm breeze carrying the scent of Gardenias
The deafening sound of cicadas in Sydney's north
Walking uphill
A quality gearbox
Walking into a shopping centre without being pat down


The things I knew that I missed...
Summer fruit
The ocean
Clear blue skies
Vistas
Dark clouds and thunderstorms
The beach
A car radio
Good food!
Quiet
Smooth orderly roads and traffic
Long hot showers with good water pressure
Machine washed clothing dried in the sun
The colour green
A hot Christmas
Not having to worry that what I am wearing might not be culturally inappropriate... not that I wear risque clothing... it's just the little things
Family and friends
Girls night out

A collection of life & lentil anecdotes from the past six months

Camel Safari in the Thar desert
Some months ago... I am thinking early September just as the monsoon was easing and the heat of summer was finally beginning to wane, my family and I along with some Australian relos hopped on a train to Jodhpur to see the sights and enjoy experiencing the desert from a camels perspective.
The overnight train ride to Jodhpur was uneventful... which is certainly a good thing if not slightly unusual.
I had booked a hotel that came highly recommended on tripadvisor called Devi Bahwan... which Hunter made up a jingle for, that will forever be imprinted on our brains.
The hotel itself had great ambiance and one of the best kept Indian hotel pools I have come across, but it had terrible food and the rooms were soso (please excuse the babble as I get down some memories for future reference).
We spent the rest of the day exploring Jodhpur which like all Rajasthani cities had a fairly impressive fort that overlooked a blue city. Apparently the wealthy people decided to paint their houses blue and then it just caught on no mater what your position in society... good thing too... very aesthetically pleasing.
For some reason we decided not to do the 2.5km zip line around the fort... don't know what I was thinking... now I will have to go back.
There is not a huge amount else to see in Jodhpur apart from a clock tower, a fairly impressive palace and a strip of antique stores. I have never seen so many piles of random stuff in all my life... could also be worth visiting again when I am on my own and have time to fossick.

The next day we all crammed into a jeep and headed out into the desert. It was decided that we should leave later in the day as the summer heat had not really waned that much. After a long lunch of weird and wonderful vegetarian foods from the region we headed out to meet our camels... I like camels... Great creation, such amazing eyes and beautiful faces. There were 7 of us on safari but we were far outnumbered by staff and camels... a seriously good outfit... would highly recommend.
So we set off like Lawrence of Arabia into the desert... though this desert was not exactly the Sahara with only sand dunes as far as the eye can see, rather it is a working desert with clay huts housing the local farmers who live surrounded by their crops of primarily millet and a surprisingly large number of watermelons.... they grow in the desert... who knew.
For a while there we had a game of mini watermelon catch... the first camel rider would toss the watermelon over their head and hopefully the camel rider behind would be in the perfect position to catch... we did have some success, but it was not a long lived game.
You know what... it is hot in the desert... and there is very little shade.... and sitting on a camel for hours on end gets a little tedious and dull. Nevertheless it was a great experience and I would recommend, though not necessarily do again.
Late in the afternoon when the sun was about to set we found a high dune on which we made camp for the night. Our fearless leader whose name escapes me now rustled up a great meal of dahl and rice accompanied with millet bread. While we ate our meal some musicians came and played... I did not want to tip them but rather pay them to make them stop. Thankfully neither was required... all part of the experience. On that first night the guys slept under the stars... oh so many stars... while the three girls went for the tent.
The next morning we had an early breakfast so we could make a move before the intense heat of the day. The view was much the same, lots of farms, sand and plenty of wildlife including some very showy peacocks.
We stopped under a tree for a delicious lunch and a siesta. When there was no breeze the heat was stifling even in the shade. As we ate and rested some kids who were walking home from school came to sit by us and stare. I am sure they were very disappointed by our lethargic performance of playing cards or reading.
After lunch we had our final 2-3 hour leg on camelback to our guides home where we would stay and see what desert life was like. The first thing I did when I got there was have a nice cold bucket shower to wash off a dense layer of desert grit. That night we stayed with our guides family and ate with him and his family in his home. The food was fabulous. I especially enjoyed a local buttermilk concoction over rice.
After the delicious dinner we set up our beds in a row under the stars... great night. great experience.

Taj Mahal... take 3
So the upside of having people come and visit is seeing and experiencing new parts of India. The down side is having to visit the Taj Mahal over-and-over again. I spared Ray and the kids this time and booked the train to Agra for the day and then onto Jaipur where we would all meet up. So it was much the same. Saw the fort, saw the taj, saw local craftsmen, had lunch and got back on the train. Exhausting? Yes. Have I learned to love Agra? No. The people are nice though.

Jaipur... take 2
So this time I booked a different hotel called the Umaid Mahal. It is a little out of the way, which is ok if you have your own car, but the building itself and the murals on the walls... lovely.
Once again we visited the Amber fort, however this time we were lucky to make the trip up to the elevated fort via elephant... though not without hoohaa and being totally ripped off. Ahh well, it's all part of the experience.
While we were in Jaipur we happened to see the Commonwealth Games Queens Baton Relay go by. Actually some of us saw it go by... Sam, Ben and Hunter discovered a fireworks shop and went on a bit of a spending spree.
The drive home from Jaipur was hell on earth. We were crowded into a car with no air-conditioning forced to have the windows open in some of the most hideous traffic of all time. What should have been a 3-4 hour trip took closer to 8-9 hours. At one point the road was blocked by some kind of traffic incident. Which soon became an angry mob scene with people charging down the street with metal bars and other weapons. Never a dull moment. Thankfully the police quickly arrived and the crowd dispersed.

Taj Mahal... take 4
So I am a sucker for punishment. Three weeks after visit 3 I hoped on the Taj Express for visit 4. This time I made the error of choosing to go on a Saturday. The crowds were hideous. We did manage to pick up a guide that was a well seasoned queue jumper though. He managed to somehow jump the line from about 200 metres to 20.
So once again we did the usual round... The Agra fort, the various craftsmen and lunch followed by the train home. It really was a nice day.

Amritsar- BIG fan
This time I made the error of suggesting we drive to Amritsar rather than taking the train... note to self... avoid all future driving trips in India. Take the train, much faster and more relaxing way to travel. What I expected to take 5-6 hours took 9-10.
So after many a car game we arrive in Amritsar and find our hotel... Good choice, thanks again tripadvisor. As soon as we had checked in we hired a car and made our way to the Indian/Pakistan border at Wagah for the border closing ceremony. From the carpark we walked a kilometer and joined the 500 metre security queue. The women's line was quite civilized. The mens... not so much. There was some sought of incident which resulted in Bobby (one of our guests) feigning a limp and then receiving special treatment... good move.
We had been given a good tip by a friend to head through to the VIP gate. Another good move. All we needed to show was a passport, however we had left our passports at the hotel. Thankfully an Australian drivers license was good enough as the security was impressed that I even had a drivers license.
On both the Indian and Pakistani sides of the border grandstands have been erected to watch the daily border closing ceremony. The very noticeable difference between the two grandstands is that the Indian side is jam packed and the Pakistani side virtually empty. In the lead up to the ceremony on the Indian side loud music is played and the atmosphere is party like. Jeni, Hunter and I even joined in with some of the locals dancing on the street. Good times.
If you ever visit it India, the Wagah border and Amritsar should be top of your list of things to see and do.
The border ceremony itself, though it didn't make much sense, was thoroughly entertaining. It seems that unusually tall and handsome Indian men are recruited to the army especially for this highly entertaining ceremony. I have never seen anyone lift their leg so high that their shin touches their face and then stamp their foot on the ground so hard... repeatedly too. The ceremony also involves much opening and slamming of the two sets of border gates several times before the lowering of the flags. Great performance. Wouldn't mind seeing it from the Pakistani side.
After the ceremony we headed back to Amritsar for dinner and asked for a restaurant recommendation from our hotel. They gave us a name, address and a driver and off we went. When we got to the address there was two restaurants side-by side with the same name both with signs saying they were the famous 'crystal' restaurant as mentioned in the Lonely Planet. The doormen for each hotel made such a ruckus trying to persuade us into their restaurant. In the end I am pretty sure we picked the right one. Fab food, great service and great company.
We got back to our hotel around 10pm and decided to go and have a wander around the Golden Temple which was conveniently situated right across the street. Great decision. We checked our shoes in at the 'shoe counter' donned a head-covering before wading through the foot cleansing pool. The temple complex is really quite spectacular and is certainly worth a late night visit. All though not crowded their were still hundreds of people about including many people sleeping the night on the hard marble by the pool surrounding the Golden Temple. As we approached the Golden Temple we could hear singing and once inside we could see the daily cleaning ritual in progress. Every single centimetre of that temple was being dusted and polished. They must go through gallons of Brasso. In the main temple room their is an enormous chandelier. Which is taken apart every night an each of the several thousand crystals is polished. The thing that most impressed us about the Golden Temple and the Sikhs was how welcoming they were. They were always happy to explain what was happening and encouraging us to see every room and every part of the temple, even when it felt like we were being disrespectful of those praying or reading from their holy book. We were told that after midnight once every surface had been polished that they would then wash the whole place down with cows milk. This would explain the unusual (though not bad) smell of the place and the strange slightly soft feeling the marble has under foot.
If ever you visit Amritsar, make sure you visit the temple late at night.
The next morning we decided to get up early to see the temple at sunrise. Not all that special due to the thick morning haze. Hunter was less than impressed when we got stranded on the walkway to the temple during a prayer time not knowing how long we would end up stuck there. Unfortunately I have not managed to cultivate in Hunter a love of sightseeing. I think if I take her to one more fort or monument she will poke her eyes out in protest. I have however managed to cultivate in her a great love of shopping... oops.
Next on the agenda was the Golden Temple Dinning Hall. Somehow we timed our arrival perfectly. Within minutes of us finding the entrance the doors swung open for the day and the mad scramble for plates, spoons and a place to sit began. The huge dining hall has several long mats running the length of the room. You sit on the edge of the mat and a servers will come by and serve water, rice, dahl and chapati (which must be received with 2 hands). Ray and the kids decided to skip the food. Hunter was still unimpressed by the whole expedience and Sam acted as photographer. After eating you then take your plates to a collection area where they are then scrapped and dumped into massive tubs. When these are full the plates are tipped into a long washing up trough. After eating it is then polite to serve by doing some washing up. This is not your usual washing dishes scenario. It takes a huge production line to wash the thousands of dirty dishes that pile up throughout the day. Ray who is quite fastidious when it comes to the cleanliness of cups and dishes was well impressed with the process. Each plate, bowl and spoon is washed by hand 5 times. Three times in soapy water and twice in clean water. So after surveying the scene for a few minutes we rolled up our sleeves and dove in. To be honest I did not do much of the washing but took on the job of moving the clean plates from one trough and dumped them in the sink of the next trough for further washing. Finally Hunter came alive. This she enjoyed... actually we all had a great time, who knew you could have so much fun washing dishes. We must have washed dishes for over 2 hours. When we took breaks we were served hot chai and bread and even with the language barrier people took the time to come over, say hi and make us feel welcome.
Sam took some amazing photos while we were there. The most amazing ones showing the size of the cooking pots the food was cooked in. No exaggeration you could fit a dismembered elephant into one of those pots.
So that's Amritsar. I hate to heighten peoples expectations of a place, but our guests put it ahead of the Taj Mahal as the premier must see attraction of India

A year in status...

Commonweath Games Delhi 2010

I have so much blogging to do and I am going to endeavor to catch up all our news over the next couple of weeks. This entry will be about our CWG (Commonwealth Games) experience in Delhi. As it happens I am sitting in the American Embassy while Sam is doing baseball training...incidentally the man at the table next to me has an uncanny resemblance to Jim Carey... anyway, on my way here I was an accomplice as Sam and his friend nicked a couple of CWG banners from light poles to keep as souvenirs. Sam has been wanting the rugby sevens banner for some time now and now he has it :)

I had been watching the lead up to the CWG for nearly two years and it was probably only in the last 3 months that I really started to notice changes in Delhi. The plan was that all the venues would be completed in March before the intense heat of summer and the following monsoon rains... but of course that was not the case and as luck would have it this year was the biggest monsoon in 15 years. You would not believe the amount of water. It rained several times everyday for 2 months without fail. The accumulation of water on the roads was unbelievable. We frequently found ourselves driving or even wading through a flowing stream of water with unknown garbage wrapping itself around our ankles.

As we live literally a few hundred metres as the crow flies to the CWG stadium our neighborhood was eagerly awaiting the opening of our local metro station which would be one of the main stops for access to the stadium. The station itself is underground and less than a week before the games began the ground surface was broken to reveal the location of the station and in true Indian fashion the metro line opened the day before the opening ceremony. You have never seen so many workmen on one worksite working 24/7. I happened to catch the metro the morning of the opening ceremony and the security was unbelievable. There was an armed army or police man literally every 5 metres in and outside the station.

The last two weeks before the games is when Delhi changed the most... Cows and people where displaced from median strips where new garden beds were planted. All the gutters were repainted, beggars at street corners mysteriously disappeared and large CWG themed billboard panels were erected to hide unsightly drains and slums. Ironically one of the slums I often drive by is established on a small but steep mound which is unusual in flat Delhi. The boarding wrapped around the perimeter of the slum did nothing to hide what was clearly visible on that hill.

On the night of the opening ceremony we headed around to our neighbors Jay and Ashwinee's house for an opening ceremony party. There were about 30 of us there including 3 of my family members from Australia. From Jay and Ashwinee's roof we had a perfect view across the freeway to the stadium. From our fab vantage point we enjoyed the fireworks display put on by an Australian pyrotechnics company in true sydney new years eve style.

I had already booked tickets to a few events in the lead up to the games but once the games started we ended up attending some event or another almost everyday. So on the morning of the first day we made a decision to go to the afternoon swimming session and watch the beginning of the Australian gold rush.
Even though we live about 20 minutes from the swimming stadium it was a wise decision to leave 2 hours early and even then we still missed the first race of the session.... Firstly because the driver of the shuttle bus from the metro to the stadium had no idea where he was going and managed to get lost and secondly because of the over the top security. It took nearly an hour in a queue for Leigh and I to get to the womens security check where we found thousands of rupees in coins and hundreds of pens littering the floor... who new you weren't allowed pens and coins into games venues. From the second day organisers had arranged red cross money boxes to collect all the banned coins.
The atmosphere at the swimming was great even though the venue was only half full. We saw Australia win gold in some great events including the mens relay. On the way out we were interviewed by a channel nine journo... there was slim pickings as far as Australian supporters at most events, thus we managed to score lots of flag waving cheering like idiots TV time.

For our next games excursion Hunter and I went with Jay and Ashwinee to the gymnastics. We had booked our tickets way in advance opting for premium front row seats. The rest of the stadium was largely empty except for the cheap seats up the back. That day we saw the Australian mens team win bronze and the womens win gold.
Heading home was more public transport chaos.... As the shuttle buses pulled up to ferry people back to the metro station the local people swarmed onto the still moving buses leaving all the foreigners bewildered. There was no order and people literally had to force their way onto the bus. I saw an English lady with three little girls trying to fight there way onto the bus and I have no doubt it was a frightening experience for them. The funny thing is once you manage to push and fight your way onto the bus the locals suddenly become very courteous and offer the foreigners their seats... ahhh India
While I am at it I am going to add one more criticism about the games and that is about the food and merchandising. Firstly the merchandising... there was none... and the food basically consisted of a chicken burger, a veg burger, a chocolate brownie and soft-drinks. Everything else on the menu was perpetually unavailable. Where were the chips, chocolate and ice cream? Seriously, the one and only food provider missed out on a lot of revenue for lack of choice... there was only so many of those hideous burgers I could stomach. While I am at it what happened to all the ice cream carts at India gate? Normally every night there are literally a hundred ice cream whalla's lining the road adjacent to the park with lots of families enjoying the park and the lights of India gate. Where did this wonderful Delhi institution go??? Ok, I am getting off my soap box now.

Sam went with friends to watch Australia beat India in the hockey semis and Ray and Sam went to the tennis finals to watch India smash Australia in the mens finals. It was so great to see the patriotism and support of the Indians for all their athletes even at events like the gymnastics and swimming where they were not even close to a medal.

We went to a second afternoon of the swimming where we saw Geoff Huegil win his gold and a bunch of other gold medals in a variety of events. By the second last day of the swimming the stadiums was close to full. As we had front row seats, two Australian flags and Ray a lairy green and gold shirt we got lots of airtime and heaps of friends from Australia and the UK saw us.

The highlight of our games experience would be organising tickets for 28 of the ashram kids and a few staff to the athletics. When I walked to the stadium that morning to buy the tickets the girl at the counter was most confused when I said I wanted 28 tickets... she asked if I meant two and then 8 and eight, once I confirmed I wanted 28 she had to check with her supervisor that I was allowed to purchase that many.
Incidentally, on my walk home I happened to pass a compound with a bunch of Australians working in the scorching heat mixing gunpowder and whatever else to make the fireworks for the closing ceremony.
So that afternoon with tickets in hand Sam and I caught the metro to north Delhi to meet everyone so that they could travel by metro for free. The kids were so excited and experienced so many new things such as; riding the metro, going to a huge stadium and even riding an escalator for the first time. It was a different world for them and they had such a great time. We were lucky enough to see India win gold, silver and bronze in the womens discus. We of course had our Australian flag with us and everyone helped us cheer on the aussie chick who one the 100 metres hurdles and Steve Hooker in the pole vault. On Steve Hookers victory lap Ray managed to yell over the crowd and get his attention which all the kids thought was cool.

Our final day of spectating was at the rugby sevens. In the lead up to the games I had been deliberately quiet on the fact that rugby sevens was a CWG event. But as we had friends arriving on the second last day of the games who wanted to take the opportunity to see the games rugby sevens was the only event of any interest. It was a good thing we bought our tickets early as by this stage a lot of events were sold out. I must admit as much as I am not a fan of Rugby it truly was a great day. We met up with about 20 other expat friends who all were Australians for the day. As our group made up the largest Australian contingent in the crowd we were on TV and the big screen often. Dav and Jeni received several texts from friends in Australia and family in the UK who had seen them enjoying their first day in India. At one point we had our very own channel 10 camera man in the crowd with us, filming us cheering like mad people as Australia versed New Zealand in the gold medal match. I have to say it was a gripping match as the first half of the match was so close, but Australia could not hang onto their lead in the second half.

We finished the games as it started... On Jay and Ashwinee's roof this time with a different group of Aussie visitors and the fireworks were equally as spectacular as the opening.

Congratulations Delhi on a wonderful games... but I don't think you are ready to host the 2020 olympics ;)

4 months later...

It has been about four months since I have blogged and needless to say I have much to catch you up on.
My last blog ended with my travels around Rajasthan and Goa. At around that time I had about a month left in Delhi before we headed back to Australia for a desperately longed for and needed break, and to escape the growing summer heat.

About 4 days before the kids and I headed home we fit in one more adventure....

Rishikesh
Rishikesh is about 5/6 hours away from Delhi. A five hour train ride to Haridwar, which was in full festival mode (a few million people had descended on Haridwar for a major Hindu festival- in fact 60 minutes did a report on it which I saw when I got back to Sydney). Apparently Haridwar is one of only a few places where nectar fell from heaven.
From Haridwar we had a 1-2 hour bus ride up through the mountains to our camp at Rishikesh. There were about 80 of us on the trip, mostly expats and a few locals.
Our camp was on the banks of the Ganga (Ganges) where the water is clean and icy cold Himalayan meltwater. We were in Rishikesh for a long weekend of whitewater rafting and hanging out. The camp was a great set up; tents with proper beds and buffet breakfast lunch and dinner.
We had two days of rafting. On the first day we would raft about 20 kilometers down the river to the main town of Rishikesh and then hop on a bus back up to our camp. It was a great day. About half way down the river we dropped the kids off before the river got too rough. They where bused further downstream where we would pick them up again after the adults and teens worked their way through the rougher rapids. It was a lot of fun. Even though it was about 40 degrees in the sun the water was about 14 degrees. It took your breath away when the waves washed over the boat. During the quieter stretches people would jump overboard and float down the river. I was not one of those people :)
Hunter and I skipped the second day of rafting. Sam and Ray went. This time they were bused up-stream and would raft back down the river to the camp after conquering 'the wall.' Only three boats went for this trip and I think only one made it over the wall without capsizing - that was Ray and Sam's boat.
It really was a fab weekend, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if i was not anticipating my trip home just a few days later. I was exhausted!

The last few days in Delhi were torture, the days dragged and I was spent. I felt like I had been on a year long camping trip, the weather was heating up and I just wanted to go home. I was at a point of not feeling like I ever wanted to come back to India.

The kids and I left Delhi to spend 2 months back in Australia and Ray followed two weeks later.

Home
Everything felt so new and different when we first got home. So much had changed. It felt familiar and unfamiliar at the same time and for the first week I savored everything that I had missed... a comfy bed and bathroom in the next room with great water pressure. And the quietness...no blaring horns, temples blasting out their prayers or the noise of a billion people. And the most exciting thing... the food :)
After about 2 weeks it all felt the same again. It was almost as though I had never left and I had recovered, I could go back to India again.

The first month in Australia went quite slow. We had a great time catching up with family and friends and I went into the office to work, which was nice. It was great to reconnect with everyone.
The second month flew by. Ray and I ducked over to NZ for a week. Ray was catching up with a few people and organisations attached to the ashram and I had a great week spending time with all the NZ ashram volunteers.
We had such a great time with Ruth and Jake, Scott and Sharlene and the kids and Jenni. After living with people in such close community the bond you have is tight. I am sure we will all be lifelong friends.

I was not a great tourist in NZ. I had been there once before when I was ten and I really just wanted to hangout with friends. We made one touristy trip to Taupo, where we sat in a spring of hot water that came out of the ground... I still think that is so amazing, that hot water can just come out of the ground.
I spent a day in Auckland with Jenni where she bought me a 'green stuff' pendant otherwise known as pounamu or jade. Apparently you are not supposed to buy it for yourself, but rather someone has to give it to you as a gift.
NZ is such a beautiful country. It is so green... though it did rain everyday we were there, so that could be why:)
The other thing that was truly memorable about NZ was the food. I ate so much and felt constantly full. I think you would call that gluttony.

Once we got back to Sydney time flew by until it was time to leave. I had my birthday with friends and family and had a weekend away with the girls.

Getting ready to leave for India again was a mammoth task. As always I pushed my luggage limit to the max. When we got to the airport there was a problem. Each piece of luggage could not weigh more than 23kgs. So the lady at the counter made us do a reshuffle. In the end she let us though with five pieces of luggage and about 15kgs over in weight... woohoo. This kerfuffle paid off as we were then one of the last people to check in and there were no seats available together in economy, so we got bumped to business for the Sydney-Singapore leg.. YAY.
We were on a British Airways flight with the new business class flat beds. The kids loved it... ruined for life. I have never been able to sleep on planes, but on this trip I slept :)
Our flight got into Singapore late, so when we got off the plane there was a buggy waiting to race us to our connecting flight to Delhi. So much for perusing the July duty free sales :( We only just made it to our plane and were the last to board the crowded flight. We made it, but our luggage did not.

We got into Delhi at about 2am and was met by our driver Gurudial and one of the ashram guys. It was good to be back. It is strange having two cities that are so familiar too me, both feeling like home.

After a few hours sleep in our own bed we got up in time for breakfast and stepped out into a typical ashram morning. It was the same yet different. I was arriving back in Delhi on exactly the same day as I had the year before. The 1st of July.
It was interesting to compare the difference in the ashram from the year before. This year it was so ordered and looked after. Last year it looked like a bomb had hit it. I had assumed it was the summer heat preventing things from being looked after.
It was wonderful to see everyone again and I think they were all really happy to see us too. It was great to hear all the news and see some new faces and the old ones. It was also great to see the progress that people had made.

I still have about a month of news to catch up on, but I am going to leave it at that for today.

It was good to catch up :)

Travels

I don't know why I have been putting off writing for so long... its not as though I am short on news. We have been doing heaps of travel and I am slowly ticking off my 'must see in India' list.

Where do I begin? Well... my sister Julie and her husband Michael arrived in early March. There arrival triggered a very busy and packed itinerary of site seeing and travel.

Initially after they arrived Ray and Mike took off to the Anderman Islands to see the work Mike and Julie's church support. While they were gone Julie the kids and I spent time hanging out at the ashram and site seeing in Delhi. Up until Julie's arrival I had put off being a tourist in Delhi as I figured at some point we would have some visitors and we could do it then.

Sites we covered in Delhi included Humayan's tomb (an impressive precursor to the Taj Mahal), the Lotus temple and the Q'tub Minar. We also spent some time at Sarojini-the best market in the world!!!

On our site seeing trips Sam took over my camera and became our official photographer. He took some impressive shots and experimented with framing his subjects within the available surrounds.

During this time I also had to say goodbye to Ruth and Jake as they would be heading off on the final leg of their journey before heading home to NZ. Now that I am back at the ashram and into normal routine I really feel its not the same without them...blah.

One of the highlights of touring Delhi would have to be Delhi by Cycle. It is a tour company organised by a Dutch guy, which involves touring around the old city of Delhi early in the morning by bicycle. So one Saturday morning the six of us set off at 6.30am to be in Delhi by 7.30 to set off for a 3 hour ride.

It was so much fun weaving through the narrow lane-ways of Old Delhi just as it is coming alive in the morning. Hundreds of people greeted us as we wove through the streets avoiding cows, goats, dogs and poop. Our first stop on the tour was for chai not far from the banks of the Yamuna. As part of the tour we where supposed to go for a early morning row, but the pollution of the river was too bad; the black water looked so thick you could have walked on it. From the chai stand we visited the 'home for disabled cows' ... and that's all I am going to say about that!

We continued our ride taking in more of the sites of Old Delhi such as the Jama Masjid Mosque and the Red Fort. Towards the end of out ride we stopped in at the world famous Karim's restaurant for breakfast where we had there speciality of goat's trotters with the most delicious flat bread.

By the time breakfast was over Old Delhi was getting pretty busy and the ride was becoming slightly more challenging with many more obstacles and much traffic to avoid on the way.

Without a doubt bicycle is one of the best ways to see Old Delhi and this tour should be compulsory for any Delhi tourist.

For the rest of the day we did a bit more site seeing, picked up our tailor made jeans ($12) and saw a few more markets all in between the kids soccer games. That night we were catching the overnight train to Udaipur and I have to say with such an early start it was just about one of the longest days of my life.

The 12 hour overnight train to Udaipur restored my faith in Indian Railways. If you have been following my blog for sometime you will know that our first train experience was not the best- the train left 6 hours late, then the 24 hour trip took 36 hours and someone tried to rob us in the middle of the night. The trip to Udaipur however, made up for that experience- the train was clean and on time and with little disruption during the night. I now know the key with train travel is to take the express trains or fly!

Udaipur

We arrived at Udaipur at around 7am and took a rickshaw to our hotel. The hotel we stayed at was wonderful; even though we arrived long before check in they gave us a temporary room to use until our room was ready. (I have to say Trip Advisor is the best website on earth for choosing well priced excellent hotels).

The Lake Pichola Hotel was a converted mansion right on the lake. We had a lake view room with views of the Old City and the Lake Palace.

Udaipur is a city surrounded by mountains and is famous for its lakes and palaces. Udaipurs modern claim to fame is the Lake Palace appearing in the James Bond movie Octopussy. In fact the movie is played at 7pm every night in most of the Udaipur cafes. This was something I planned to see while in Udaipur but alas I am still yet to actually watch a Bond movie.

We stayed in Udaipur for 3 days and I loved it! Even though we were there in peak season it was so quiet compared to Delhi. I loved wandering around the Old city browsing at the shops, many of which sold the intricate two dimensional paintings that Rajasthan is famous for.

We did our fair share of site seeing while in Udaipur, taking in three of the palaces as well as temples and the views of Udaipur from the Monsoon Palace. As much as I enjoyed these sites the highlight of my time in Rajasthan was sitting cross legged in the courtyard of one of the simpler hotels having painting lessons with Madan. I had a 2-3 hour lesson each day with one of the kids joining me on alternate days. If I was really organised I would take some photos of the finished product and attach it to the blog but alas I am not :)

Jaipur

From Udaipur we took another overnight train to Jaipur; the capital of Rajashtan. Once again we got in early and took a rickshaw to our hotel. The hotel was cheap yet wonderful... another credit to Trip Advisor.

After breakfast we walked from our hotel to the pink walled old city of Jaipur. Jaipur was not really what I had expected; although it has a long history, it does not feel as old as Delhi or Agra. We spent the morning exploring the City Palace and wandering through the old city spotting camels and the occasional elephant (all tame). That afternoon after a short siesta we drove out to the Amber to see the fort. Our driver, Gurdial had driven down from Delhi that morning and was spending the rest of the trip with us. He is such a great guy and enjoyed seeing the sites of his country as much as we did, albeit for a tenth of the price...but fair is fair.

Ray nearly made the trip very costly for Gurdial after he told him to keep driving when the police tried to pull us over because Ray was not wearing his seat belt. As it was we had to do a U-turn and the police pulled us over on our way back. After much hoohaa Ray (once again) got out of a fine and we were on our way.

Don't ask me how many forts I have seen in India, but the Amber fort was by far one of the more impressive. At the Amber fort I hired a guide; he pointed out lots of interesting details and explained to us what it would have looked like back in the day with its thick rugs, velvet curtains and ornate furnishings.

If you are ever after a guide don't ask me to pick one... our guide at Amber was about 100 years old and had to sit down when he spoke as he was breathless from emphysema.

We spent one night in Jaipur and the next morning we headed off early for Agra.

Agra

So this was my second trip to Agra and hopefully my last. Although the city has some fairly impressive history and monuments I don't like it. It is dirty chaotic and certainly not what you would expect from a city that is raking in a tonne of money for one of the most prominent tourist attractions in the world. Also, avoiding the numerous touts and people trying to sell you hunks of marble becomes unbearable in a very short time.

The first thing we did on arriving in Agra was head straight for the Taj Mahal. Last time I visited was during November when it was far less crowded and not nearly as hot. We did not find a guide so I did my best at showing Julie and Michael some of the more interesting features and telling the what history I could from memory.

Once again we had fun taking lots of crazy photos and just enjoying the sight.

After the Taj we checked into our hotel and had a quick bite before heading out to see the Agra fort. Last time at the fort I did not have a guide and I felt that we missed out on some of the key features and history. This time we had a great guide (engaged by Ray) who took us through the fort and pointed out many of the things we had simply overlooked last time.

A guide is a must if you ever go to the Agra Fort. I was hoping he would be able to sneak us into the closed to the public mirrored bathroom, but as there was no guard on duty to unlock it (for a small fee) we could only peer through some very small and dirty windows :(

As much as I don't like Agra with all its hassles and touts our Agra Fort guide was fantastic and the cycle rickshaw wallahs were honest, interesting and helpful.

After staying overnight in Agra we headed back to Delhi. The chaos and traffic that welcomed us was particularly horrendous.

We stayed one night in Delhi before flying out to Goa at midday the next day.

Goa

We were allso looking forward to this week away in Goa, especially after such a full on schedule. During our time in Goa we were not tourists but rather just enjoyed reading by the pool, walking to the beach for a quick swim and eating much missed seafood. I managed to eat seafood everyday while I was in Goa, but was a little disappointed that all the prawns were grilled or fried.... I really miss vivid orange and white chilled prawns.

After a few days of being extremely lazy Ray, Sam, Hunter and I decided to head out of the resort and explore a bit more of Goa. We hired a couple of motor scooters and headed north to explore the coast line, Hunter was my pillion passenger and Sam with Ray. It has been ages since I last rode a scooter and I had forgotten how much fun it is, especially in a place like Goa where the roads are flat and winding and shaded by hundreds of palm trees. I would hate to ride a scooter around chaotic Delhi but Goa felt like being in another country.

After some time exploring and enjoying the ride we pulled into one of the northern beaches for a swim. It was a little different from the beach where we were staying, with a lot more Indian tourists, rather than the multitude of Russians. There was even a cow sunbathing on the beach :)

From the beach we started heading back to our hotel. Along the way we pulled into a hair salon so Sam could get a haircut. The advertised price for a haircut was 20 rupees (50 cents)... even cheaper than Delhi. Ray felt bad and payed $1.

We managed to get a little lost on the way back to the resort, but were rescued by Google maps... got to love it.

Not much else to report on our time in Goa. Except perhaps that I would not necessarily recommend it to Australians as a beachside resort holiday destination. Australia's beaches are by far nicer and if you are looking for an OS beach holiday Indonesia, Malaysia or Thailand would be the go. So, would I go to Goa again if I was desperate to see the ocean while in India?....probably not, next time perhaps we will try Sri Lanka.

Back to Delhi

We have been back in Delhi and the ashram for a week now and the weather is really hotting up. Each day sees temperatures in the late 30s, dropping to the early 20s overnight. By next week the temperature will hit the 40s and the night-time reprieve will no longer occur. I think we have made the right decision to head home for the two hottest months of the year.

Potentially this could be my last blog for sometime. Frankly I have lost my writing verve and am finding it difficult to write about life at the ashram. Also I doubt I will have time to fit another blog in between rafting in Rishikesh and heading home. So until early July...

Namaste

Happy Holi

On Monday I experienced my first Holi in India. Holli which is also called the festival of colours, is a spring festival celebrated by Hindus. The festival lasts for 16 days with the main day being celebrated last Monday

The day before Holi bonfires are lit and effigies of demonesses like Holikais are burned. The next day holi celebrated with a riot of colour, with powder paints, buckets of colourded and scented water and giant syringe-like water pistols

Interestingly, the spring season, during which the weather changes, is believed to cause fevers and cold. Thus, the playful throwing of natural coloured powders has a medicinal significance. The colours are traditionally made of neem, kumkum, haldi, bilva, and other medicinal herbs prescribed by Ayurvedic doctors.

I expected the Monday of Holi to be a typical Monday... work, school etc but the atmosphere in Delhi and the ashram was that of a public holiday so there was not work done that day. That morning before the kids had even got out of bed I found myself up at the kids house being squirted with coloured water and powder paint... it was a lot of fun for both me and the kids. So after that I assumed that was it for my holi experience so I washed all the paint off and got into some clean clothes.

Later that day, Murari, one of the boys asked me to drive him to Savita's house (the ashram teacher) to visit for Holi. The village of Narela was so different from its normal daily hustle and bustle. All the shops were closed except for those selling colourful powder paint and water guns. The village itself looked like a colourful war zone. There were people walking around covered from head to toe in the most vivid colours you have ever seen. The streets themselves were covered in water and paint.

When we got to Savitas house we parked as close as we could to her house and then we literally had to run to her door to avoid being drowned by buckets of water being tipped on us by people on their roof, while being chased by guys determined to see us covered in paint. Amazingly we made it to her house clean and dry.

Indian hospitality is so wonderful... I guess it comes from having such an old culture. It does not matter if I am literally popping in some where to drop something off; water and chai are offered and served as a matter of course. Thus it was at Savitas as well. When Savita offered water she mentioned that she did not have bottled or filtered but only tap. I said "koi bat nahi" which means no worries and drank the tap water. I think my gut is well and truly accustomed to India now as I have not had any problems in over a year now.

After water and chai we were offered pakora....mmmm so good! I must learn how to make it.

It was so great to spend some time with Savita and get to know her a little better. It also made me realise that I need to find more time to visit and spend with the kids.

That afternoon Sam instigated a little water fight by throwing some water at Ruth. It was not long before a full scale water and colour fight was underway. Eventually everyone was lured out and covered with paint and water... there was a long line for the showers that night!

I am fairly rubbish at uploading photos to the blog so if you want to see them you need to befriend me on facebook :)

This will probably be my last blog for a few weeks as my sister arrives on Monday and I will be heading off on a few more travels.